URMAN ... The
Forest Village near Berezhany in Western Ukraine

Above: Wooden Church of St Peter and Paul in Urman, dates
from 1688, according to the inscription, curved out at the doors.
It was moved to Urman from Ivano-Frankivsk region (24 pairs of oxes
dragged it all the way from Rohatyn according to the legend in 1777).

Urman'
(means "forest" in Tatar language)is situated inBerezhany
district of Ternopil regio in western part of Ukraine. Name is pronounced as oorman'
in Ukrainian. Itis famous and
known first of all because of its nice lake, where many
people like to go fishing. I was in Urman when I was a
boy and have nice recollections of beautiful autumn
scenery, lake stretched along the alley road, and nice
house on the hill nearby surrounded by forests. Hills
covered with forests (pine, hornbeam, oaks, alder, beech
grow here) around Urman are quite high and reach 400
meters...Urman is located on P116 road which connects
Berezhany and Zolochiv via Pomoryany. Neibouring villages
are Plikhiv, Rozhadiv, Nadrichne, Zhukiv, Lapshyn
(Lapszyn), Pidlisne, Hynovychi, Bishche, Poruchyn,
Potoczany, Dryshchiv and Pomoryany...

Story of village of
Urman'

By Andriy Kohut from Urman (written
in "Berezhanska Zemla v spohadakh emihrantiv")
Translated by Roman Zakharii from Berezhany, town 15 km
from Urman

History of Urman is history of Ukraineīs
Galician province in miniature. Urman is a village in
Berezhany povit (district), 15 km to the north from
center (that is from Berezhany). The main part of the
village stretches along the river Zolochiv - Berezhany,
with silent river Zolota Lypa nearby, which forms wide
pond. We find two Urmans on geographical maps. One is
Velykyy Urman (Great Urman - the main part of the
village) and other one is Malyy Urmanī - minor village
suburbs, which are situated along the field road, at 2
kilometers to the south from Velykyy Urmanī. This
suburbian part of Urmanī was also called "Na
mlynakh" (at the mills), because there was a mill,
behind the pool.

Population:

Urman is not a large village. In 1943, during German
rule, it numbered 1900 persons.
Church in Urman was affiliated with the church in Dryshchiv (Dryszczow in Polish),
which is situated at 3 km from Urmanī Velykyy. But
parish priest lived in Urmanī. Urman is ancient
settlement. Its beginnings reach remote past. We
have a documentary mention preserved, that Urmanī existed
already in 1448. Certainly
the beginnings of Urmanī reach much earlier times, maybe
even to the duke era of our history.

Tatar
(!) name Urman (meaning "forest" in Tatar
language)

Name itself sounds so as if it came
from remote past and in Tatar language Urman
simply means forest. And in fact village is
surrounded and located in forest area. So my presumption
(Roman Zakharii) is that the nameUrman was given by
Tatars, who inavded Berezhany land starting from the 13th
century. So definately Tatars (or other ancient Turkic
tribe) invadors / settlers were involved in giving such
typical Tatar (Tartar) name for the village (in very
Slavic area!) or establishing the settlement itself in
13th century. There was a massive Tatar invasion of khan
Batyi in Galicia in 1239-42 and that might be then that
Urman emerged as Tatars (Tartars) came and brought the
name. First historical mention of Urman dates from just
century later, (1385) after Tatar invasion. Urman
is common toponimical name in Tatar (kara urman
- "black forest", urman+dagy -"something
situated in the forest as trees, animals, berries
etc", sarli urman - "murmuring
forest"). But we do not know why part of the village
bears the name "Mistechko" (Little town).

Urman
during Austrian rule (1772 - 1918).

Population of Urmanī during Austrian
rule was Ukrainian, called themselves "Rusyns"
(Ruthenians), that is by old our name. Besides that,
there were a few families of Latinnics (Roman Catholics)
and four Jewish families in the village. However everyday
language of Latinnics was Ukrainian. Only two families in
the village spoke Polish at home. One was Polish-Czech
family of Vyskochylo (Wyskoczylo / Viskocylo / Viskocilo)
and the other one was
mixed Ukrainian-Polish family. In 1890 s, that preserved
in memory of the author, in the village, besides the
church there was only one cultural establishment - small
one class school with one teacher. There was a
"korchma" (a sort of bar) in the village. In
this korchma, gathered younger and older men in the
evenings. Village did not have the reading hall. Only
around 1900, reading hall named after Kachkovsky
(Kaczkowski) was established by parish pries of
old-ruthenian beliefs father Leontiy Luzhnytskyy. After
his death, again old-Ruthenian became the priest - father
Dudyk. He maintained that reading hall, but was not much
interested in it.

The decisive year was 1907, year of
elections to Viennese parliament, when Berezhany land
unanimously voted for Ukrainian candidates. Urmanī
changed then also. Parish priest father Dudyk, after
having seen that he lost support of the village, resigned
from the parish himself and moved to other place. New
parish priest arrived to Urman. That was father Omelyan
Havrysho (Hawryszo / Hawryscho), sincere Ukrainian
patriot, who enjoyed unusual love and respect of all
district. He was not only a notorious priest but also
sacraficial worker at the peopleīs field: he organized
Church choir, founded reading hall "Prosvita"
(Enlightening), consumers cooperative and sportive and
fireman organization "Sich". The outcmes of his
work became obvious, when Urmanīs "Sich"
arranged very succeseful festival in 1912, in which
orchestra from neighbouring Hynovychi (Hynowicze),
"Sich" and "Sokoly" (eagles) from
neibouring villages participated. Many guests from
Berezhany came then, namely the "koshovyy"
(chiefman) of district "Sich" organization Dr.
Andriy Chaykovskyy (Czajkowski / Chaykovsky), Austrian
parliament deputy Tymotey Starukh (Staruch), professor
and known writer Dr. Osyp Makovey (Makowej / Makovei /
Makoway / Makovej / Makowey) and then university student
Volodymyr Bemko and others. Festival was very successeful
arrangement and manifestation of Ukrainian national
consiousness of Urman and its inhabitants.

Next year in 1913, with the help of
Urmanīs "Sich" again festival took place, for
which military physycian of district headquarters Dr Osyp
Kovshevych (Kowszewycz) came from Berezhany. Kovshevych
was known Ukrainian patriot, in the end of the festival
when it was getting dark, he entartained festvival
participants with nice artificial fireworks, that flew up
exploding into all the colors in the air and falling
down.

In 1914, just before the First World War,
Urmanīs Sich and all Urman community participated in
opening of of monument to Taras Shevchenko, that was
placed with the efforts of cultural-educational
establishments of villages Zhukiv (Zukow / Zhukov) and
Hynovychi (Hynowicze / Ginovichi). Monument was place
next to the road ZOLOCHIV (Zolochev / Zloczow) -
BEREZHANY (Brzezany), just inbetween Zhukiv and Hynovychi
borders. In the celebration, many societies of
"Sich", "Sokoly" (Falcons) took part,
along with many people from whole Berezhany land. Urman
was moving to the higher level of culture, knowledge and
"national ego (I)", experiencing this also by
sending of three village sons to study at Berezhany
Gymnasia (Lyceum), and later many more. Urman understood
the weight and importance of knowledge, science and
knowledge.

FIRST
WORLD WAR IN URMANī

September 1914 - August 1915:
Urman under the control of tsarist Russia

When in August 1914, First World War started, all
cultural-educational work stopped in Urmanī. Sometime at
the end of August or beginning of September of that year,
long columns of Russian troops went through Urmanī in
direction of the Carpathians. There was no big fighting
in this area, because according with military plans,
Austrian army had to fortify the Carpathians and to
defend there. In May 1915, when Russian front was
broken-through at Gorlice in Western Galicia, Russian
army quickly started to withdraw so, that already in
June, the frontline stopped at 3 kilometers from Urmanī.
During two months, masses of Russian troops had been
stationed in Urmanī. These were mainly regiments from
the Ukraine. Very often they sang Ukrainian folk songs.
Author had a chance to observe that already then,
soldiers Ukrainians of Russian army were interested in
national problems and some of them had secretly little
books, published by "Union of Liberation of
Ukraine" (so called SVU - So!
yuz Vyzvolennya Ukrayiny) that was active in Austria and
Germany during the war.

August 1915: Urman again under
Austrian rule.

By the end of August 1915, Russian troops withdrew
further to the east and Urman appeared under Austrian
control again. Opportunity to restore villageīs cultural
work emerged again, though in limited dimensions, caused
by that time. Urman enjoyed with all Ukrainians, when in
1917, Russian empire collapsed and brothers Ukrainians
over the Dnieper, started to build their own state. Those
who experienced those unforgetable times, they remember
what a joy and proudness was at every sincere Ukrainian,
and first of all at Galician one.

Urman
under control of short lived western Ukrainian state
(1918)

When in October 1918, Galician Ukrainians started getting
prepared to take over power in Eastern Galicia and
creation of its own state on their lands of former
Austro-Hungarina monarchy, Urman also did not stand aside
of these events. The participant of November events
Mykhaylo Kohut, son of Mykola tells:

"One day or two before 1st of November 1918, parish
priest father Om. Havrysho called on his parish folks to
reading hall and explained to them that Austria collapses
and Ukrainian State is being created on Ukrainian lands
and that all Ukrainians have holy obligations to help this
state to establish itself. First of all, military unit
needs to be organized and this appeal was realized
straight, when 40 young men declared themselves for
military service, and command over them was taken by
Vasyl Trynka, senior of Austrian army, who was then on
vacation in the village. Those who had what was those
ammunition and commander Vasyl Trynka taught them
commands and how to shoot from military positions. The
decesive day came, the messanger of National Council from
Berezhany arrived and Urman detachment went to Berezhany.
Parish priest personally accompanied it to neighbouring
village Dryshchiv, where it was united with just the same
Dryshchiv unit. Father Havrysho wished them success and
blesses with the cross and both units (under the command
of Vasyl Trynka) went to Berezhany. This took place in
first days of November, maybe on second and third day of
that month. At former Austrian military exercising field,
they met the same units from other villages....This way
Urman boys were one of the first ones to serve native
Ukranian state. Not many participants of that march to
Berezhany, remained still alive, but they with tears of
joy and proudness, and also of sadness, remind about
those unforgetable November days 1918". The same
month, after Ukrainian power was established in
Berezhany, part of Urman boys were mobilized and included
to Eastern-Galician Brigade, which with the beginning of
December 1918, went to Kyiv. After it was dissolved,
soldiers of thsi brigade were added to the corpus of
Ukrainian Sich Riflemen (Ukrayinski Sichovi Striltsi).
Urman honored its authorities and did everything to
maintain them, "but to survive there was no
power"...Some !
of these who fought for Ukrainian statehood, died at the
battle field, some died of typhus in the "rectangle
of death", among these also son Stepan of father
Havrysho.

Urman
under Poland and Soviets

In June 1919, fresh Polish troops, that arrived from
France under the command of general Haller, French
generals and other officers, pushed Ukrainian Galician
Army (UHA) out of Berezhany land and Urman happened to be
under Polandīs control. In Urman itself it was
peacefully, but in Berezhany and surrounding villages,
Poles arrested many church and seculiar leaders,
prominent peasants. There were acts of rough and often
bloody violence and murdering by Polish military, for
example in Lapshyn (Lapszyn), Bishche (Biszcze) and other
villages. In the end of July or beginning of August 1920,
Soviet army going after Polish one, occupied part of
Easter Galicia up to river Hnyla Lupa (Gnila Lipa /
Gnilaya Lipa) and Urmanī happened to be under Soviet
control...But being defeted near Warsaw, Soviet troops
quickly escaped, and Eastern Galicia was taken by Poland
again but only for 20 years, since in 1929 it was
occupied by Soviet Union and incorporated into larger
Ukrainian Socialist Republic (today independent Ukraine)
within Soviet Union.

Church
in Urmanī

Since unknown times there was little wooden church in
Urman (see photo at the top of the page). The church was
under preservation of "Monumental Conservation
Authority", as example of antique wooden
architecture.

Photo above: Consecration of basement tor building
new stone church in Urman in 1939.

Only in 1938, with the initiatve of
father Stepan Horodetsky (Horodecki), building of a new
church was started. It was not finished because of the
Second World War and negative communist circumstances
after it. Walls of unfinished church started to collapse
and old wooden church, a witness of ancient past, stands
until today, as Lord protects it!

It should be noted that building material (bricks and
oaks) for new church was donated by count Potocki, owner
of Pomoriany (Pomorzany) estates and forests. Although he
was not member of Ukrainian church, but felt sympathy for
Urmanī, probably because Urman carpenters made furniture
for castle in Pomoriany (Pomorzany / Pomorzani /
Pomoryany) and also because choir of Urman reading hall,
upon inviatation perfomed a few times in the castle with
Ukrainian songs.

LIST
OF TELEPHONE SUBSCRIBERS (SOME OF THE RESIDENTS) IN
URMAN:(from Berezhany and Berezhany
district Telephone book, 1988)

If you want to write a letter to
any family from the list, write address so: LAST NAME /
INSTITUTION, selo Urman, Berezhanskyy rayon, 47501,
Ternopilska oblast, Ukraine. I might provide you
telephone number of the family upon kind request (note
that I receive whole bulk of similiar genealogy request
every day and I am not capable always to answer!)

View from the yard over the Monastery of fathers
Basilians (Vasylians, Ukrainian Greek-Catholic Monastic
Order) in Krasnopushcha. Now it serves as house for
handicapped (monastery was shut down by communists) I
think.

This House for Handicapped in Krasnopushcha is
"subject of jokes" among young people in
Berzehany and area, but it should not be so since many of
these wretched handcapped and mentally retarted people
need help. If you feel you are able to assist them, here
is postal address:

Page created on 17.11.2001 by Roman
Zakharii (from Berezhany, Western Ukraine. Berezhany is
15 km to the south from Urman') in Oslo,
Norway (where I worked and studied now, doing two years MPhil in
Medieval Studies). I had graduated in history of Ukraine
from the University of Lviv in Ukraine and hold MA in
Modern Central European History
(specializing in Polish Jewish historiography) from Board
of Regents of the University of State of New York
(I did it at CEU in Budapest). I would be interested to
teach Ukrainian, Russian, Soviet, Polish history
or languages or Eastern European Jewish history abroad.
Please contact me, if you have any suggestions.
Page updated in Aug. 2013 in Reykjavik, Iceland.
All copyrights reserved.